Chest Rigs

The middle-weight loadout option. More capacity than a battle belt, less heat and bulk than a plate carrier. The chest rig fits the gap between the two.

A chest rig sits between battle belts and plate carriers in the loadout hierarchy. It carries magazines, a radio, and a few essential pouches across the chest, held in place by a harness that goes over the shoulders and crosses behind the back. No plate housing (so no front/back armour plates), no full coverage (so no heat-trap effect), but significantly more capacity than a belt-only setup. For UK milsim and skirmish where you need 4-6 magazines accessible and a radio at chest height, this is the standard answer.

Two main rig styles cover most builds. Full bib chest rigs (Spiritus Systems-style, Mayflower-pattern) have a single integrated chest panel with MOLLE webbing across the entire front — typically 5-6 magazine pouches plus space for utility pouches above. Placard-style rigs are modular — a base harness with interchangeable front panels (placards) that swap between configurations (M4 mag placard, AK mag placard, low-vis admin placard) without re-rigging the whole system. The placard style is more common in 2026 milsim builds; the full bib is the traditional choice.

Carry method options. Standalone harness (the chest rig worn alone over a shirt or base layer) is the warm-weather and CQB approach. Plate carrier integration — many modern chest rigs can clip onto the front of a plate carrier as a placard, giving the flexibility to scale the loadout up or down without buying separate systems. Sizes: most chest rigs adjust significantly via the harness straps but check sizing for very large or small wearers. For plate carriers that integrate with chest rigs, see the dedicated collection. For pouches that fit on the MOLLE panels, see the dedicated collection.

💡 Titan Forge tip: If you're not sure whether to start with a chest rig or a plate carrier, get the chest rig first. It works on its own (no plates required) and can clip to the front of a plate carrier later if you upgrade. Buying a plate carrier first locks you into that platform — and most UK skirmish players never actually need a full plate carrier.